Your Source for Diabetes Information

Diabetes Explained: Rare Types of Diabetes Mellitus

There are various rare types of Diabetes Mellitus. Some of them are genetic and other are caused by environmental causes, like steroid diabetes which is caused by misuse of steroids which leads the body’s imbalance and causes the body to produce insulin in little quantities or leaves the body in a state in which the body cannot fully process the insulin.

Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young

There are types of Diabetes Mellitus that are paired with certain diseases and cause a new breed of diabetes, like Cystic Fibrosis Diabetes Mellitus which is only found with people who have Cystic Fibrosis.

The fact is that most of these rare forms of Diabetes are still a mystery to us and we know very little about them, for example Congenital Diabetes Mellitus which causes insulin secretion defects on a genetic level. We are still not sure what causes it and how to deal with it. From the rare types of Diabetes Mellitus there are three forms that are researched in detail, MODY or Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young, Impaired Glucose Tolerance and Metabolic Syndrome or Syndrome X.

MODY – Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young

MODY or Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young is genetically inherited type of Diabetes Mellitus. Unlike other types of Diabetes mellitus where the inheritance is only a risk factor, with MODY this is a trait. It is very similar to the Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus as it leads to insulin deficiency. Unlike regular Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus where the average diabetics are over-weight and older in age, MODY claims thin and active people in their early twenties and late teens. MODY doesn’t always require insulin treatment, it is different from case to case. One of its traits is that it is hardly recognized in the early stages and most people find out about it in their early twenties. Only 2% of Diabetics have Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young.

Impaired Glucose Tolerance

“Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) is a pre-diabetic state of dysglycemia that is associated with insulin resistance and increased risk of cardiovascular pathology. IGT may precede type 2 diabetes mellitus by many years. IGT is also a risk factor for mortality.” As described on the Wikipedia.

Metabolic Syndrome – Syndrome X

Metabolic Syndrome or popularly known as Syndrome X is actually a combination of various medical disorders which increase the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. What is the scariest part about Metabolic Syndrome is that it affects 1 out of 5 people, and with age it turns into Diabetes Mellitus if not treated properly. Almost one quarter of the population in the US suffer from Metabolic Syndrome.

These are all serious conditions that need to be treated. Rare types of Diabetes Mellitus are always a great issue as they are very hard to notice, which is their greatest difficulty. Keeping constant checkups with your doctor will ensure that you recognize any of these types of Diabetes Mellitus in time.